Improving Laser Powder Bed Fusion Printability of Tungsten Powders Using Simulation-Driven Process Optimization Algorithms.

This study applies numerical and experimental techniques to investigate the effect of process parameters on the density, structure and mechanical properties of pure tungsten specimens fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. A numerical model based on the simplified analysis of a thermal field generated in the powder bed by a moving laser source was used to calculate the melt pool dimensions, predict the density of printed parts and build a cost-effective plan of experiments. Specimens printed using a laser power of 188 W, a scanning speed of 188 mm/s, a hatching space of 80 µm and a layer thickness of 30 µm showed a maximum printed density of 93.2%, an ultimate compression strength of 867 MPa and a maximum strain to failure of ~7.0%, which are in keeping with the standard requirements for tungsten parts obtained using conventional powder metallurgy techniques. Using the optimized printing parameters, selected geometric artifacts were manufactured to characterize the printability limits. A complementary numerical study suggested that decreasing the layer thickness, increasing the laser power, applying hot isostatic pressing and alloying with rhenium are the most promising directions to further improve the physical and mechanical properties of printed tungsten parts.

Muscular morphometric study of the canine shoulder for the design of 3D-printed endoprostheses in dogs with osteosarcoma of the proximal humerus: a pilot cadaveric study by MRI.

OBJECTIVE: Osteosarcoma frequently affects the proximal humerus in dogs. In veterinary medicine, no therapeutic option for the treatment of osteosarcoma satisfactorily preserves limb function. 3D-printed personalized endoprosthesis offers a promising treatment option. Morphometric data, necessary for the design of the endoprosthesis, are currently lacking in canine patients. Our objective was to acquire the morphometric data necessary to refine the design of the endoprosthesis. ANIMAL: A single canine cadaveric thoracic limb. PROCEDURES: Sagittal proton-density, and sagittal, dorsal, and transverse T1-weighted sequences of the thoracic limb were acquired with a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit. Nineteen muscles of interest were subsequently identified using medical imaging software (Mimics©) and their volume was reconstructed in 3D using computer-aided design (CATIA©). Mormophetric data were recorded for each of the 19 muscles. The same canine cadaver was then dissected to measure the same parameters. RESULTS: All muscles were successfully identified with data consistent with the dissected cadaveric data. Certain muscles were more challenging to isolate on MRI, namely the heads of the triceps brachii, superficial pectoral, and latissimus dorsi. The relative distribution of muscle volumes was similar to historical data. Muscle tissue density was not significantly affected by freezing (1.059 g/cm3). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: MRI is a useful tool to collect morphometric data but imperfect if used alone. This approach was the first attempt to validate more general morphometric data that could be used to refine the design of custom 3D-printed prostheses for limb-sparing of the proximal humerus. Further imaging studies are warranted to refine our model.

Debonding of coin-shaped osseointegrated implants: Coupling of experimental and numerical approaches.

While cementless implants are now widely used clinically, implant debonding still occur and is difficult to anticipate. Assessing the biomechanical strength of the bone-implant interface can help improving the understanding of osseointegration phenomena and thus preventing surgical failures. A dedicated and standardized implant model was considered. The samples were tested using a mode III cleavage device to assess the mechanical strength of the bone-implant interface by combining experimental and numerical approaches. Four rough (Sa = 24.5 µm) osseointegrated coin-shaped implants were left in sheep cortical bone during 15 weeks of healing time. Each sample was experimentally rotated at 0.03°/sec until complete rupture of the interface. The maximum values of the torque were comprised between 0.48 and 0.72 N m, while a significant increase of the normal force from 7-12 N to 31-43 N was observed during the bone-implant interface debonding, suggesting the generation of bone debris at the bone-implant interface. The experimental results were compared to an isogeometric finite element model describing the adhesion and debonding phenomena through a modified Coulomb's law, based on a varying friction coefficient to represent the transition from an unbroken to a broken bone-implant interface. A good agreement was found between numerical and experimental torques, with numerical friction coefficients decreasing from 8.93 to 1.23 during the bone-implant interface rupture, which constitutes a validation of this model to simulate the debonding of an osseointegrated bone-implant interface subjected to torsion.

Effect of Cooling and Annealing Conditions on the Microstructure, Mechanical and Superelastic Behavior of a Rotary Forged Ti-18Zr-15Nb (at. %) Bar Stock for Spinal Implants.

In this work, the microstructure, phase state, texture, superelastic and mechanical properties of a Ti-18Zr-15Nb (at. %) shape memory alloy subjected to a combined thermomechanical treatment, including hot rotary forging with either air cooling or water quenching and post-deformation annealing are studied. It was revealed that the main structural component of the deformed and annealed alloy is BCC ß-phase. With an increase in the forging temperature from 600 to 700 °C, the average grain size increases from 5.4 to 17.8 µm for the air-cooled specimens and from 3.4 to 14.7 µm for the water-quenched specimens. Annealing at 525 °C after forging at 700 °C with water quenching leads to the formation of a mixed statically and dynamically polygonized substructure of ß-phase. In this state, the alloy demonstrates the best combination of functional properties in this study: a Young's modulus of ~33 GPa, an ultimate tensile strength of ~600 MPa and a superelastic recovery strain of ~3.4%.

Effect of Fe and C Contents on the Microstructure and High-Temperature Mechanical Properties of IN625 Alloy Processed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Two alloys with different Fe and C contents were studied to assess the influence of their compositions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ni-based Inconel 625 superalloy processed by laser powder bed fusion and subjected to stress relief annealing (870 °C) and a solution treatment (1120 °C). It was concluded that the alloy with a higher Fe content (~4 wt.% as compared to ~1 wt.%) manifests a greater propensity to segregate Nb and Mo elements during printing and form δ phase particles during the stress relief annealing. On the other hand, the alloy with a higher C content (~0.04 wt.% compared to ~0.02 wt.%) exhibits a greater tendency to form M6C carbides during the solution treatment. No effects of the Fe and C content variations on the room temperature mechanical properties were observed. On the contrary, an increase in the C content resulted in a 40% lower high-temperature (760 °C) ductility of the laser powder bed fused and post-processed IN625 alloy, without affecting its strength characteristics.

Personalized endoprostheses for the proximal humerus and scapulohumeral joint in dogs: Biomechanical study of the muscles' contributions during locomotion.

Osteosarcoma represents one of the most common bone tumours in dogs. It commonly occurs in the proximal humerus, the most affected anatomic site. Until recently, amputation or limb-sparing surgery leading to an arthrodesis coupled with chemotherapy were the only available treatments, but they often lead to complications, reduced mobility and highly impact dog's quality of life. Prototypes of both articulated and monobloc (no mobility) patient-specific endoprostheses have been designed to spare the limb afflicted with osteosarcoma of the proximal humerus. This study focuses on the biomechanical effects of endoprostheses and shoulder muscle kinematics. For each of the endoprosthesis designs, a minimal number of muscles needed to ensure stability and a certain degree of joint movement during walking is sought. A quasi-static study based on an optimization method, the minimization of the sum of maximal muscle stresses, was carried out to assess the contribution of each muscle to the shoulder function. The identification of the most important muscles and their impact on the kinematics of the prosthetic joint lead to an improvement of the endoprosthesis design relevance and implantation feasibility.

Biomechanical evaluation of bovine stifles stabilized with an innovative braided superelastic nitinol prosthesis after transection of the cranial cruciate ligament.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the stability bovine stifles stabilized with nylon or nitinol superelastic prostheses after transection of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Stifles (n = 15) harvested from adult bovine cadavers. METHODS: The stifles were randomly assigned pairwise to a ligament reconstruction technique (n = 5): (1) and (2) Hamilton's technique using a prosthesis made of 24 nitinol strands (0.39 mm) braided at 40°or single 600-lb test nylon implant, and (3) nitinol prosthesis placed in femoral and tibial bone tunnels (bone-to-bone). Craniocaudal tibial translation at ±2000 N was applied to the tibia, and mediolateral angular displacement via measured under torsional tibial loading at ±60 Nm on three occasions: intact CCL, transected, and stabilized. Outcomes were evaluated with a mixed effect linear model for repeated measures. RESULTS: Bone-to-bone using nitinol was the only repair that decreased tibial translation after CCL transection (p = .001) with a 23% change magnitude compared with intact CCL. Hamilton was the only stabilization reestablishing angular displacement, similar to intact CCL (p = .109 and .134 for nitinol and nylon). Bone-to-bone nitinol stabilization decreased angular displacement after CCL-transection with an 8% change magnitude (p = .040) without returning to normal values. CONCLUSION: CCL replacement with nylon did restore joint stability. Nitinol prostheses passed through single femoral and tibial bone tunnels (bone-to-bone) were the only techniques reducing tibial translation. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE/IMPACT: Bone-to-bone stabilization with a nitinol prosthesis may be considered as an alternative to nylon for CCL replacement in cattle. These results provide evidence to justify clinical evaluation in cattle undergoing CCL replacement.

Mechanical properties and fluid permeability of gyroid and diamond lattice structures for intervertebral devices: functional requirements and comparative analysis.

Current intervertebral fusion devices present multiple complication risks such as a lack of fixation, device migration and subsidence. An emerging solution to these problems is the use of additively manufactured lattice structures that are mechanically compliant and permeable to fluids, thus promoting osseointegration and reducing complication risks. Strut-based diamond and sheet-based gyroid lattice configurations having a pore diameter of 750 µm and levels of porosity of 60, 70 and 80% are designed and manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V alloy using laser powder bed fusion. The resulting structures are CT-scanned, compression tested and subjected to fluid permeability evaluation. The stiffness of both structures (1.9-4.8 GPa) is comparable to that of bone, while their mechanical resistance (52-160 MPa) is greater than that of vertebrae (3-6 MPa), thus decreasing the risks of wither bone or implant failure. The fluid permeability (5-57 × 10-9 m2) and surface-to-volume ratios (~3) of both lattice structures are close to those of vertebrae. This study shows that both types of lattice structures can be produced to suit the application specifications within certain limits imposed by physical and equipment-related constraints, providing potential solutions for reducing the complication rate of spinal devices by offering a better fixation through osseointegration.

Effect of homogenization and solution treatments time on the elevated-temperature mechanical behavior of Inconel 718 fabricated by laser powder bed fusion.

In the present study, the effect of homogenization and solution treatment times on the elevated-temperature (650 °C) mechanical properties and the fracture mechanisms of Inconel 718 (IN718) superalloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) was investigated. Homogenization times between 1 and 7 h at 1080 °C were used, while solution treatments at 980 °C were performed in the range from 15 to 60 min. The as-printed condition showed the lowest strength but the highest elongation to failure at 650 °C, compared to the heat-treated conditions. After heat treatments, the strength of the IN718 alloy increased by 20.3-31% in relation to the as-printed condition, depending on the treatment time, whereas the ductility decreased significantly, by 67.4-80%. Among the heat treatment conditions, the 1 h homogenized conditions at 1080 °C (HSA1 and HSA2) exhibited the highest strength and ductility due to the combined effects of the precipitation hardening and sub-structural changes. Further increases in the homogenization time to 4 and 7 h led to a decrease in the strength and significant ductility loss of the LPBF IN718 due to the considerable annihilation of the dislocation tangles and a greater precipitation of coarse MC carbide particles. Furthermore, it was found that the solution treatment duration had a crucial influence on the mechanical properties at 650 °C due to the increase in the grain boundary strength through the pinning effect of the intergranular δ-phase. In addition, the fracture mechanism of the LPBF IN718 was found to be dependent on the heat treatment time. Finally, this investigation provides a map that summarizes the effect of homogenization and solution treatment times on the high-temperature mechanical behavior of LPBF IN718 by relating it to the corresponding microstructural evolution. This effort strives to assist in tailoring the mechanical properties of LPBF IN718 based on the design requirements for some specific applications.

Influence of Homogenization and Solution Treatments Time on the Microstructure and Hardness of Inconel 718 Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process.

In the present study, Inconel 718 (IN718) superalloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) has been characterized focusing on the effect of both homogenization and solution treatment time on grains structure, crystallographic texture, precipitates formation/dissolution and material hardness. For this purpose, a heat-treatment time window with a wide range of soaking times for both treatments was established aiming to develop the optimal post-treatment conditions for laser powder bed fused IN718. It was found that the as-printed IN718 is characterized by very fine columnar/cellular dendrites with Laves phase precipitating at the grain boundaries as well as inter-dendritic regions, which differs from the microstructure of wrought and cast materials and requires special heat-treatment conditions different from the standard treatments. The results reveal that the relatively short homogenization treatment at 1080 °C for 1 h was not enough to significantly change the as-printed grain structure and completely dissolve the segregates and Laves phase. However, a completely recrystallized IN718 material and more Laves phase dissolution were obtained after homogenization treatment for 4 h. A further increase in time of the homogenization treatment (7 h) resulted in grain growth and coarsening of carbides precipitates. The solution treatment time at 980 °C did not cause noticeable changes in the crystallographic texture and grain structure. Nevertheless, the amount of δ-phase precipitation was significantly affected by the solution treatment time. After applying the heat-treatment time window, the hardness increased by 51%-72% of the as-printed condition depending on the treatment time due to the formation of γ' and γ″ in the γ-matrix. The highest material hardness was obtained after 1 h homogenization, whereas the prolonged time treatments reduced the hardness. This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the post heat-treatments of the laser powder bed fused IN718 that can result in an optimized microstructure and mechanical behavior for particular applications.

Structural, physical, chemical, and biological surface characterization of thermomechanically treated Ti-Nb-based alloys for bone implants.

Metastable near-beta Ti-21.8Nb-6Zr and Ti-19.7Nb-5.8Ta (at%) alloys were subjected to a thermomechanical treatment comprising cold rolling (CR) with a true strain of e = 0.3 and post-deformation annealing (PDA) in the 500-900°C temperature range to ensure the superelastic behavior which is important for bone implants. It was found that PDA resulted in formation of about 1-2 µm-thick oxide layer on the Ti-Nb-Zr and Ti-Nb-Ta alloy samples; the layer was mainly composed of TiO2 , in rutile and anatase modifications. The structure, the phase and chemical compositions, and some surface-sensitive properties of the alloys were compared to those of Ti-50.7Ni and Ti-Grade2 reference materials. These surface layers (especially that of the Ti-Nb-Zr alloy) demonstrated a promising combination of high cohesion strength (load causing surface layer fracture is over 25 N), hardness (∼12 GPa), and hydrophilicity (contact angle ∼40°). Surface modification by controlled oxidation during air annealing increases corrosion resistance and enhances in vivo osteoinductive properties of Ti-Nb-Zr alloys by changing the surface microrelief, increasing the surface wettability, and improving the mechanical characteristics, thus laying the foundation for the development of medical implants with prolonged service life. So, it was confirmed that the same thermomechanical treatment, which creates conditions for the superelastic behavior of the bulk metal (CR: e = 0.3 + PDA = 500-700°C for 1 hr), would also create a strong, protective and biocompatible layer on the implant surface.

Limb-sparing in dogs using patient-specific, three-dimensional-printed endoprosthesis for distal radial osteosarcoma: A pilot study.

Limb-sparing for distal radial osteosarcoma has a high rate of complications. Using personalized three-dimensional (3D)-printed implants might improve outcome. The goals of this study were to optimize use of patient-specific, 3D-printed endoprostheses for limb-sparing in dogs in the clinical environment and to report the outcome. This was a pilot study where five client-owned dogs were enrolled. Computed tomography (CT) of the thoracic limbs was performed, which was used to create patient-specific endoprostheses and cutting guides, and repeated on the day of surgery. Intra-arterial (IA) carboplatin was introduced in the clinical management. Limb-sparing was performed. Outcome measures were time required to produce the endoprosthesis and cutting guide, fit between cutting guide and endoprosthesis with host bones, gait analysis, size of the tumour, percent tumour necrosis, complications, disease-free interval (DFI) and survival time (ST). Four dogs received IA carboplatin. Excessive tumour growth between planning CT and surgery did not occur in any dog. The interval between the CT and surgery ranged from 14 to 70 days. Fit between the cutting-guide and endoprosthesis with the host bones was good to excellent. At least one complication occurred in all dogs. Two dogs were euthanized with STs of 192 and 531 days. The other dogs were alive with a follow up of 534 to 575 days. IA chemotherapy is a promising strategy to minimize the risk of excessive tumour growth while waiting for the endoprosthesis and cutting-guide to be made. The design of the cutting-guide was critical for best fit of the endoprosthesis with host bones.

Personalized 3D-printed endoprostheses for limb sparing in dogs: Modeling and in vitro testing.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer in dogs, treatable by amputation or limb-sparing surgery. For the latter, commercially available plate - endoprosthesis assemblies require contouring, to be adapted to the patient's bone geometry, and lead to sub-optimal results. The use of additively-manufactured personalized endoprostheses and cutting guides for distal radius limb-sparing surgery in dogs presents a promising alternative. Specialized software is used for the bone structure reconstruction from the patient's CT scans and for the design of endoprostheses and cutting guides. The prostheses are manufactured from a titanium alloy using a laser powder bed fusion system, while the cutting guides are manufactured from an ABS plastic using a fused deposition modeling system. A finite element model of an instrumented limb was developed and validated using experimental testing of a cadaveric limb implanted with a personalized endoprosthesis. Personalized endoprostheses and cutting guides can reduce limb sparing surgery time by 25-50% and may reduce the risk of implant failure. The numerical model was validated using the kinematics and force-displacement diagrams of the implant-limb construct. The model indicated that a modulus of elasticity of an implant material ranging from 25 to 50 GPa would improve the stress distribution within the implant. The results of the current study will allow optimization of the design of the personal implants in both veterinary and human patients.

The Electrochemical and Mechanical Behavior of Bulk and Porous Superelastic Ti‒Zr-Based Alloys for Biomedical Applications.

Titanium alloys are well recognized as appropriate materials for biomedical implants. These devices are designed to operate in quite aggressive human body media, so it is important to study the corrosion and electrochemical behavior of the novel materials alongside the underlying chemical and structural features. In the present study, the prospective Ti‒Zr-based superelastic alloys (Ti-18Zr-14Nb, Ti-18Zr-15Nb, Ti-18Zr-13Nb-1Ta, atom %) were analyzed in terms of their phase composition, functional mechanical properties, the composition and structure of surface oxide films, and the corresponding corrosion and electrochemical behavior in Hanks' simulated biological solution. The electrochemical parameters of the Ti-18Zr-14Nb material in bulk and foam states were also compared. The results show a significant difference in the functional performance of the studied materials, with different composition and structure states. In particular, the positive effect of the thermomechanical treatment regime, leading to the formation of a favorable microstructure on the corrosion resistance, has been revealed. In general, the Ti-18Zr-15Nb alloy exhibits the optimum combination of functional characteristics in Hanks' solution, while the Ti-18Zr-13Nb-1Ta alloy shows the highest resistance to the corrosion environment. The Ti-18Zr-14Nb-based foam material exhibits slightly lower passivation kinetics as compared to its bulk equivalent.

Reflection of an ultrasonic wave on the bone-implant interface: Effect of the roughness parameters.

Quantitative ultrasound can be used to characterize the evolution of the bone-implant interface (BII), which is a complex system due to the implant surface roughness and to partial contact between bone and the implant. The aim of this study is to derive the main determinants of the ultrasonic response of the BII during osseointegration phenomena. The influence of (i) the surface roughness parameters and (ii) the thickness W of a soft tissue layer on the reflection coefficient r of the BII was investigated using a two-dimensional finite element model. When W increases from 0 to 150 µm, r increases from values in the range [0.45; 0.55] to values in the range [0.75; 0.88] according to the roughness parameters. An optimization method was developed to determine the sinusoidal roughness profile leading to the most similar ultrasonic response for all values of W compared to the original profile. The results show that the difference between the ultrasonic responses of the optimal sinusoidal profile and of the original profile was lower to typical experimental errors. This approach provides a better understanding of the ultrasonic response of the BII, which may be used in future numerical simulation realized at the scale of an implant.

Quasi-static tensile properties of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CrCL) in adult cattle: towards the design of a prosthetic CrCL.

Mechanical properties of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CrCL) in adult cattle are not well documented and protocols used in the literature focus on testing a full femur-CrCL-tibia complex rather than an isolated CrCL. The aim of this study was to assess a wider range of tensile properties of the CrCL along its anatomic axis with experimental measurements of the global elongation, displacement and strain fields, in order to provide guidelines for the design of CrCL prosthetic surrogates. Fourteen bovine CrCL were harvested from seven mature cows (5.1 ± 1.3 years) weighing 631 ± 90kg. The mean CrCL length was 41.4 ± 1.5mm and its mean cross-section was 103.9 ± 23.8mm2. Pre-conditioning was achieved with 30 cycles of loading from 30 to 200N at a strain rate of 0.02s-1. Specimens were then loaded to failure at the same strain rate. The following results were obtained: the mean ultimate tensile load (UTL) 4372 ± 1485N and the median [quartiles] maximal global elongation 19.3 [17.8; 21.4] %. At first physical signs of tearing, the mean load was 3315 ± 1336N and mean elongation 13.5 ± 4.9%. The mean absorbed energy at failure was 5.23 ± 2.08 MJ.mm-3 and the mean stiffness at various levels of elongation was: 220 ± 195N.%-1 (5%), 285 ± 162N.%-1 (10%), 239 ± 200N.%-1 (15%), 146 ± 59N.%-1 (20%), 153 ± 136N.%-1 (25%). None of these properties were related to the bovine weight, age and side of the body (p > 0.05). An ideal prosthetic surrogate should then follow these sets of properties and the experimental data suggest that the in-vivo maximal elongation is below 13.5%.

Femoral stem incorporating a diamond cubic lattice structure: Design, manufacture and testing.

BACKGROUND: The current total hip prostheses with dense femoral stems are considerably stiffer than the host bones, which leads to such long-term complications as aseptic loosening, and eventually, the need for a revision. Consequently, the lifetime of the implantation does not match the lifetime expectation of young patients. METHOD: A femoral stem design featuring a porous structure is proposed to lower its stiffness and allow bone tissue ingrowth. The porous structure is based on a diamond cubic lattice in which the pore size and the strut thickness are selected to meet the biomechanical requirements of the strength and the bone ingrowth. A porous stem and its fully dense counterpart are produced by laser powder-bed fusion using Ti-6Al-4V alloy. To evaluate the stiffness reduction, static testing based on the ISO standard 7206-4 is performed. The experimental results recorded by digital image correlation are analyzed and compared to the numerical model. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: The numerical and experimental force-displacement characteristics of the porous stem show a 31% lower stiffness as compared to that of its dense counterpart. Moreover, the correlation analysis of the total displacement and equivalent strain fields allows the preliminary validation of the numerical model of the porous stem. Finally, the analysis of the surface-to-volume and the strength-to-stiffness ratios of diamond lattice structures allow the assessment of their potential as biomimetic constructs for load-bearing orthopaedic implants.

Development and in vitro validation of a simplified numerical model for the design of a biomimetic femoral stem.

BACKGROUND: Dense and stiff metallic femoral stems implanted into femurs for total hip arthroplasties produce a stress shielding effect since they modify the original load sharing path in the bony structure. Consequently, in the long term, the strain adaptive nature of bones leads to bone resorption, implant loosening, and the need for arthroplasty revision. The design of new cementless femoral stems integrating open porous structures can reduce the global stiffness of the stems, allowing them a better match with that of bones and provide their firm fixation via bone ingrowth, and, thus reduce the risk of implantation failure. METHODS: This paper aims to develop and validate a simplified numerical model of stress shielding, which calculates the levels of bone resorption or formation by comparing strain distributions on the surface of the intact and the implanted femurs subjected to a simulated biological loading. Two femoral stems produced by laser powder-bed fusion using Ti-6Al-4V alloy are employed: the first is fully dense, while the second features a diamond cubic lattice structure in its core. The validation consists of a comparison of the numerically calculated force-displacement diagrams, and displacement and strain fields with their experimental equivalents obtained using the digital image correlation technique. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The numerical models showed reasonable agreement between the force-displacement diagrams. Also, satisfactory results for the correlation analyses of the total displacement and equivalent strain fields were obtained. The stress shielding effect of the implant was assessed by comparing the equivalent strain fields of the implanted and intact femurs. The results obtained predicted less bone resorption in the femur implanted with the porous stem than with its dense counterpart.

Impact of spinal rod stiffness on porcine lumbar biomechanics: Finite element model validation and parametric study.

A three-dimensional finite element model of the porcine lumbar spine (L1-L6) was used to assess the effect of spinal rod stiffness on lumbar biomechanics. The model was validated through a comparison with in vitro measurements performed on six porcine spine specimens. The validation metrics employed included intervertebral rotations and the nucleus pressure in the first instrumented intervertebral disc. The numerical results obtained suggest that rod stiffness values as low as 0.1 GPa are required to reduce the mobility gradient between the adjacent and instrumented segments and the nucleus pressures across the porcine lumbar spine significantly. Stiffness variations above this threshold value have no significant effect on spine biomechanics. For such low-stiffness rods, intervertebral rotations in the instrumented zone must be monitored closely in order to guarantee solid fusion. Looking ahead, the proposed model will serve to examine the transverse process hooks and variable stiffness rods in order to further smooth the transition between the adjacent and instrumented segments, while preserving the stability of the instrumented zone, which is needed for fusion.

Impact of anchor type on porcine lumbar biomechanics: Finite element modelling and in-vitro validation.

BACKGROUND: Rigid posterior implants used for spinal stabilization can be anchored to the vertebrae using pedicle screws or screws combined with transverse process hooks. In the present study, a finite element model of a porcine lumbar spine instrumented with screws and hooks is presented and validated. METHODS: The porcine lumbar spine model was validated using in-vitro measurements on six porcine specimens. Validation metrics included intervertebral rotations (L1 to L6) and nucleus pressure in the topmost cranial instrumented disc. The model was used to compare the biomechanical effect of anchor types. FINDINGS: Good agreement was observed between the model and validation experiments. For upper transverse hooks construct, intervertebral rotations increased at the upper instrumented vertebra and decreased at the adjacent level. Additionally, nucleus pressures and stress on the annulus decreased in the adjacent disc and increased in the upper instrumented disc. The pull-out forces predicted for both anchor configurations were significantly lower than the pull-out strength found in the literature. INTERPRETATION: These numerical observations suggest that upper transverse process hooks constructs reduce the mobility gradient and cause less stress in the adjacent disc, which could potentially reduce adjacent segment disease and proximal junction kyphosis incidence without increasing the risk of fixation failure. Future work needs to assess the long-term effect of such constructs on clinical and functional outcomes.